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<title>A short story about a present and the emotional turmoil it caused by Akrois</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27523528">A short story about a present and the emotional turmoil it caused</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akrois/pseuds/Akrois'>Akrois</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fallen Hero Series - Malin Rydén</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Second Person</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 05:42:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>803</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27523528</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akrois/pseuds/Akrois</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The little box is hot and heavy in your hands and it somehow manages to feel like a boulder and hot magma at the same time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sidestep/Steel (Fallen Hero)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A short story about a present and the emotional turmoil it caused</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I saw this greyhound shaped charm bracelet and all I could think was Zachary buying it for Chen and then I remembered that poor Zachary is<br/>Very Anxious (TM) about showing honest affection<br/>Also the dog park is full of people sitting there and being like<br/>" Oh it's that guy having a panick attack again."</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a stupid idea, you think.</p>
<p>A stupid idiotic idea that took way too much of your time, brainpower and money.</p>
<p>Well maybe it didn't cost that much. Also you didn't really think about it too hard. Had you thought about it for more than a minute, you probably would not have brought it at all.</p>
<p>The little box is hot and heavy in your hands and it somehow manages to feel like a boulder and hot magma at the same time. You look at it like you expect it to explore, or grow legs and scamper off.</p>
<p>Both would be good things and you really wouldn't be too miffed about it.</p>
<p>Also, why are you even here, worrying yourself stupid in a dog park? </p>
<p>Don't you have a plan to overthrow a corrupt politician, bring the mistreatment of your kind to light, change the world and all that? Why aren't you taking care of that?</p>
<p>Why are you in a stupid dog park with a stupid box waiting for stupid Chen.</p>
<p>Stupid Chen and his stupid present.</p>
<p>Is ugly, anyway. And cheap. He'll hate it. He won't even try to be polite about it. What's the point, you'll know that he hates it anyway. </p>
<p>And then he'll hate you because who's the ridiculous, pathetic, weak, sniveling freak that buys this kind of things.</p>
<p>He'll hate you and this miserable simulacrum of a relationship will finally come to an end. You didn't deserve it anyway. Better now than later. Rip the bandaid. Pull that tooth out. </p>
<p>" You look worried."</p>
<p>You jump and nearly throw the box in the grass. Or at his face.</p>
<p>Chen is staring at you and he looks way too plain in a ugly batterer hat, a faded t-shirt and cargo shorts.</p>
<p>Who are you kidding. He looks <em>handsome</em>. Striking. Like the whole park should be looking at him.</p>
<p>You're the one who looks plain. You shouldn't even complain about looking plain, you put a lot of effort in looking plain, but for once in your life you wish you'd chosen something less plain.</p>
<p>Maybe a nice white shirt. That you'd have to wear with an undershirt to hide your tattoos. Or a t-shirt. T-shirts are nice. Causal.</p>
<p>That would show your tattoos too, you tit. </p>
<p>Chen looks at you, tilting his head. You can feel his thoughts, rolling in waves against you, the gentlest lapping of foam at your feet.</p>
<p><em>What's wrong</em>, he thinks, <em>is he sick? Bad news? Something happened?</em></p>
<p>He's not wrong and you try to shut him away from your mind but then</p>
<p>
  <em>Did he call me to end things?</em>
</p>
<p>" No!"</p>
<p>You shout, your head coming up so fast it nearly gives you whiplash.</p>
<p>Chen raises a disapproving eyebrow. He doesn't like it when you spy in his mind.</p>
<p>It's not your fault, you want to say, it's talking that is hard and Chen's body is so hard to read and it's all giving you a headache.</p>
<p>You've always been a bit scared of words.</p>
<p>No, not words. Vulnerability? Being rejected. Being defective. </p>
<p>Of the look that people usually reserve for broken, unwanted things.</p>
<p>You hold on his arm and push the box against his hand like you want to hide it away " A present" you stammer, looking somewhere in the grass " for you."</p>
<p>The wave of feelings pulls back and you worry he's going to give you the box back or hate you or something ugly like that.</p>
<p>But then the wave comes back and is soft and gentle.</p>
<p>" Thank you." He says. He didn't expect a present.</p>
<p>You mutter something and continue staring in the distance, barely registering Spoon running around. It's all Spoon's fault. You wouldn't be here if not for him. You wouldn't be feeling all these emotions if not for that skinny anxious mess of a dog.</p>
<p>Goddamnit are you really blaming a dog for your shortcomings? This is a new low Zachary, you need to go home and do some damage control and hide for six week minimum. Or maybe you could skip town and change your name. That would be smart.</p>
<p>A hand raises your chin gently. Chen is looking at you, his face warped and warmed by a soft, gentle smile. He's blushing, you notice, the dark red spreading all the way to his ears, making all his scars glow pink.</p>
<p>" Thank you" he says, staring right at you, looking all soft and sweet like a marshmallow or something " I love it."</p>
<p>There's a thought just under his words, something like closed caption, like a different phrase, like a translation to a different language. You decide to ignore it in favour of pressing him against you and your lips against his.</p>
<p>And, for a blessed moment, you forget why you were so worried in the first place.</p>
<p> </p>
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